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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1059 



bility. But in America it is only within 

 the past twenty-five or thirty years that the 

 universities have generally come to recog- 

 nize it as their function to extend, as well 

 as to maintain and transmit, such knowl- 

 edge in all departments of learning. In 

 a sense this is the more fundamental task 

 of the two, since the attainment of scien- 

 tific knowledge must precede its use in in- 

 struction or practical application; and it 

 is perhaps the chief distinction of Clark 

 University that it was one of the first to 

 recognize and act on this principle. The 

 day devoted to the memory of its founder 

 seems thus an especially appropriate time 

 for such a discussion. 



Now investigation, in the scholarly or 

 scientific sphere, means something more 

 than the mere attempt to find something 

 new. It means primarily aU activity 

 directed simply and solely toward the ad- 

 vancement of liberal knowledge — ^knowl- 

 edge, that is, not of special or local or 

 purely practical matters, but knowledge in 

 its broader, more theoretical or purely hu- 

 mane aspects, — those which are concerned 

 not so much with meeting the immediate 

 occasion as with furnishing a generally 

 valid basis of principles and methods that 

 can be applied at will to all of the affairs 

 of life. Breadth of application should be 

 the main characteristic of this type of 

 knowledge; it should meet not only the 

 purposes of practical life, but also those 

 of science and art, besides serving for the 

 realization of the higher ideals of culture 

 and conduct. The investigator knows that 

 we can not assume all desirable knowledge 

 of this kind to be already in existence and 

 to be had for the asking ; what we already 

 possess has been gained chiefly by the pro- 

 longed and devoted efforts of previous 

 investigators, working sometimes alone, 

 sometimes in conjunction with others, and 

 usually in universities or other institutions 

 of learning; and we have to see to it that 



the task is carried on. That the task itself 

 is a worthy one admits of no dispute; in- 

 calculable good has come to humanity 

 through its means, and no doubt will con- 

 tinue to come if our efforts do not relax. 



Why do so many seek knowledge with- 

 out being seriously concerned about its ap- 

 plication? This question is often asked, 

 and its answer has puzzled many sincere 

 persons. In various fields of science and 

 culture we find men who seek knowledge 

 with no other aim than to possess it. Is 

 this aim worthy ? Many, especially in these 

 times, express doubts. Some even denounce 

 such search as selfish. One hears such ex- 

 pressions as the selfishness of cultured per- 

 sons. Yet those who do possess knowledge 

 — worth calling by the name — are rarely 

 troubled by such doubts. When Solomon 

 rated wisdom as better than rubies, he no 

 doubt expected that philosophers in gen- 

 eral would agree with him, but not all 

 other persons. Is it that a certain native 

 endowment of intellect or temperament is 

 required to take satisfaction in knowledge 

 as knowledge, just as others delight in art as 

 art? This is true in a measure, certainly; 

 and the tendency has to be recognized and I 

 believe encouraged. It is doubtful if an in- 

 vestigator or scholar in any field can be 

 truly effective without this disinterested 

 curiosity or simple desire to know; so that 

 we must regard love of knowledge, even if 

 it does not eventuate in action of any kind, 

 as in itself desirable. Perhaps it is as well 

 for it not to exist alone, but that is another 

 question. There are, however, other and 

 profounder — I might say biological — ^justi- 

 fications for this tendency. Knowledge, 

 in the biological interpretation, is the chief 

 means of adjustment to the conditions of 

 life. This is clear enough in practical life ; 

 if we understand a situation — have it 

 clearly and accurately conceived in advance 

 — we are better able to deal with it. The 



